Crossing Borders

The trip from Durham to Chattanooga has become very familar. This is the fifth time we've done it in two-and-a-half months. But this time it feels different. We are moving. Driving from our old home to our new home.

Each state border we cross feels momentous. Leaving North Carolina—my home state for most of my adult life—and crossing into Virginia meant something. I was leaving the state that was no longer my home. I was leaving the state where I raised my kids, made friends, met both wives and lived my life.

And crossing from Virginia into Tennessee—which I just spelled correctly without looking it up—felt a different kind of momentous. I am looking forward. This is my new home. This is where Deborah and I begin the next chapter of our lives. The real chapter. These past five years have been prelude.